The whiff of wasted potential weighs heavy, given the Spierigs have true-life material, a dame and decent subtexts to work with. Based on the wife and heiress of rifle magnate William Wirt Winchester, Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren) is a widow whose San Jose mansion harbours ghosts. The victims of Winchester rifles haunt its halls, forcing Sarah to keep building on the already madly sprawling pile because – apparently – the labyrinthine corridors help distract the dead.

In grand ghost story tradition, a sceptical perspective is embodied by psychiatrist Dr Eric Price (Jason Clarke), sent by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company to assess Sarah's mental state. But Price's issues with laudanum and loss create something else: prime conditions to over-excite vengeful spooks.

And though a gun-siege set-piece evokes modern horrors, the schlock 'n' load approach allows scant room for scrutiny. When the jump-scares dry up, the Spierigs' decision to demolish half the scenery speaks volumes, as a top-heavy Winchester collapses in on itself.